Scotland’s Oldest Inhabited House, Traquair near Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders, has unveiled a fantastic line-up of events for this Spring and Summer as it prepares to open its doors to the public once more on 9 April.
The popular historic attraction saw a 7% increase in visitor numbers last year, aided by a vibrant programme of events. This year’s schedule of activities ranges from Easter egg hunts, medieval jousting and outdoor Shakespeare performances to story-telling bike-rides, discussions and the biggest event of the year, the Traquair Fair, which takes place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August.
Tickets for the Fair, one of best family events in Scotland, have just gone on sale and a theme of Fire has been chosen for this year. Award-winning Scottish musicians, The Blazin’ Fiddles, are amongst the first acts to be confirmed as part of the event’s music line-up along with The Explosive Dholis, a superb Indian drumming group.
Other music acts attending this year include Western Australian singer and acoustic guitarist Emily Barker who will perform with The Red Clay Halo, an all-female trio playing violin, cello, accordion and flute. The trio also provides backing vocals resulting in some mesmerizing four-part harmonies. The New Rope String Band, with its unique combination of circus, clowning and beautiful acoustic music, is also set to attend.
The Traquair Fair has been supported this year by Event Scotland and Scottish Borders Council which will help develop a new “Glamp Site in the grounds comprising ten luxury yurt tents to provide a more glamorous, family-friendly alternative to the attraction’s traditional camping facilities.
Events at Traquair attract over 15,000 people throughout the year and Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair, is optimistic about the coming season. She said;
“In spite of the economic downturn, we saw an impressive increase in visitors last year with many more from the UK and particularly Scotland where so many people are discovering the wealth of places to visit and things to do with the family nearer to home. We’ve been welcoming visitors to Traquair for over 50 years and believe our vibrant events programme is contributing to our continued success. We hope as many people as possible, from the Scottish Borders and beyond, will come along in 2011 to see what this beautiful attraction has to offer.”
Events at Traquair this Spring and Summer are as follows:
Easter Eggstravaganza: Sunday 24 April. Children’s activities and workshops and a hunt for over 5,000 mini-eggs in the Traquair maze.
Living History at Traquair: Saturday 30 April, Sunday 1 and Monday 2 May. See soldiers of fortune from the 30 Years War in 1639 camped at Traquair.
Traquair Medieval Fair: Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May. Be transported back to medieval times with Traquair’s Royal Medieval Pageant, falconry, archery, equestrian displays, early music, jesters and children’s entertainment.
Shakespeare at Traquair: Wednesday 1-Saturday 4 June, Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 June. A stunning performance of Romeo and Juliet in Traquair’s beautiful grounds.
Traquair Fair: Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August. Unbeatable family entertainment with theatre, outdoor spectacles, music, dance, storytelling, children’s entertainment and craft and complimentary medicine stalls.
Books, Borders and Bikes: Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August. A unique two-day literary festival featuring international writers.
For full details of all summer events and to purchase tickets for the Traquair Fair visit the web site at www.traquair.co.uk.
For further press information, please contact Karen Finlay or Yvonne Bruce, Artisan PR, Tel: 01578 722690